1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of video conferencing, and more particularly to a method and system for presenting a video call management console.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video conferencing has grown in popularity, especially as a business tool, because it gives participants an opportunity to visually interact without having to travel to the same location. As a result, many businesses have made substantial investments in video networks, including endpoint, MCU, gateway and gatekeeper video devices that interact with each other through a network or that interact with other video devices through public networks, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network or the Internet. A typical business video network has a number of video devices geographically dispersed though out a number of locations and managed by a staff, such as information technology personnel. Further, as video conferencing by Internet Protocol has become more common, business video networks have migrated some video device functionality to modules running on servers and personal computers.
Active video network management is one important factor in whether a business is able to use its video network effectively. A video conference call between several video endpoints often presents a complex scheduling and configuration problem involving a number of video devices. Once video calls are scheduled and configured, participants who are unfamiliar with video endpoint operation generally ask for assistance in setting up and maintaining a video call. Further, if difficulties develop with video devices supporting a video call, back-up devices and reconfiguration of scheduled video calls may be needed. In short, video network administrators are busy and, with video networks that have a large number of video devices, often overwhelmed. In situations where a video call involves a particularly important member of a business or a particularly important subject matter, failures with video devices that lead to failures in the video call are often particularly embarrassing for the video network administrators.